Thursday, 12 January 2012

Sew On And Sew On.....

Finishing off your work is just as important as the making of your work....I really cannot understand why people spend so much time creating something quite beautiful and then spoil it because they don't know how to finish it off...or just can't be bothered.

I was one of those people years ago....I would knit and knit but my finishing off let me down.....I spent a lot of time learning how to finish off my work and getting it right and I pretty much think most of the knitted or crocheted items that leave this house are as good inside as they are outside or in the case of a blanket....could be used either side, front or back.

I thought I'd do a little tutorial on how I sew the ends in on a crochet blanket. A lot of people crochet the ends in as they go, but I choose to sew them in so the little blighters get stuck fast.

Firstly a sharp sewing needle....not a darning needle with a rounded tip....you want to be able to split the wool when you're pushing the needle through the joins, and the only way that will happen is with a sharp needle. Darning needle on the right.....sewing needle on the left.

Gosh it is the bit I hate, sewing in the ends, but if you sew as you go it's not a huge chore at the end.

Next take one of your ends and thread the needle then follow the seam and go through the stitches for about 3 cm or in this case around 5 crochet stitches, also just check the front of your work that you can't see the stitch being threaded through.

Pull the yarn through, and then go back in the other direction that you came, but make sure you poke the needle back through one stitch less than where you came out....it just creates a little catch for the stitch so it doesn't just pull right back through to where you started.

Then turn back again going one stitch less again and then just go back a few stitches, so half as far as before....if that makes sense.

Then just cut the yarn off using a little pair of scissors, especially dedicated to craft, not the kitchen scissors, not blunt scissors or nail scissors, and cut the yarn off at the base of the stitch leaving no end poking out.

Work the same way for all the ends until they're all done. In my case I've then crocheted the squares together (that's another lesson) and then we have to sew the seam threads in, and I go about this exactly the same way, back and forward 3 times.

Exactly the same....down the seam in one direction.

Pull the thread through....then going back in the same direction you came from, but just a stitch or so less so you catch a stitch. Make sense?

Back around for a third time only half as far and cutting of leaving no yarn poking out.

Again there are people that choose to crochet these ends in as they crochet squares together....I don't like the bulkiness of the seam when they are done that way, but each to their own.

So here is how it should eventually end up with the back.....lovely and neat.

And if you show half the front and half the back, I think either side looks just as good and that is how it should be.

Once I get to the end of this blanket, I'll do a little tutorial on blocking your work....sort of like a before and after.

I find sewing in crocheted ends so much easier than knitted...my knits look great on the outside but boy the inner leaves a lot to be desired.I only learnt how to block last year after coming across it on the Internet...it makes the end result look so much nicer.The thing I am struggling with is joining granny squares. I made a blanket for my daughter and totally stuffed up piecing it together.xx

About Me

Hi and welcome to dover & madden. This blog is a little bit of a tie in with my knitting business. It's focused more on photos rather than words. Simple things that make me smile on a daily basis. If you are looking for knitwear for babies, check out my Etsy store or stop by Facebook to hear about the latest d&m news. V x